{"id":5406,"date":"2026-02-20T13:02:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T12:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/?p=5406"},"modified":"2026-02-20T14:22:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T13:22:05","slug":"conseller-ordeig-innovation-is-key-to-ensuring-the-sustainability-of-our-agricultural-sector-in-the-face-of-the-global-challenges-of-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/conseller-ordeig-innovation-is-key-to-ensuring-the-sustainability-of-our-agricultural-sector-in-the-face-of-the-global-challenges-of-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0Conseller\u00a0Ordeig:\u00a0\u201cInnovation is key to ensuring the sustainability of our agricultural sector in the face of the global challenges of climate change\u201d\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The conseller for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, \u00d2scar Ordeig Molins, inaugurates the third edition of \u201cBreakfast for Inno\u201d and highlights the importance of addressing future scenarios through research and innovation.
The Rector of the University of Lleida and President of Agrotecnio, Maria \u00c0ngels Balsells, highlights the initiative that connects the university with the business sector.
The first conference focused on barley resilience to climate change.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0conseller\u00a0highlighted the importance of bringing together researchers,\u00a0companies\u00a0and public stakeholders to share knowledge and experiences in applied research. \u201cThe agri-food sector is the leading sector of the Catalan economy, and we face the challenge of producing more food with fewer resources. We will only achieve this through more knowledge, more science,\u00a0innovation\u00a0and technology,\u201d he\u00a0stated.\u00a0Ordeig\u00a0added that Lleida \u201cmust position itself as an internationally\u00a0recognised\u00a0food hub.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rector of the University of Lleida, Maria \u00c0ngels Balsells, accompanied the Minister. Balcells, who also serves as President of Agrotecnio, highlighted the role of Breakfast for Inno as a tool to strengthen the connection between the university and the business sector, promoting knowledge transfer and innovation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first session of the 2026 cycle addressed the topic: \u201cStrengthening cereal resilience to climate change.\u201d The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and late rains, negatively affect crops. To address these challenges, Agrotecnio, La Moravia Malt House (Damm Group), Semillas Batlle and CUPASA presented the project Barley and Malt Resilience (ResOrMa). Coordinated by Gustavo A. Slafer, Principal Investigator of the Crop Physiology Research Group at Agrotecnio, and funded by the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, the project aims to develop strategies to adapt barley to new climatic conditions, ensuring grain yield and quality while promoting sustainable practices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A project with Agrotecnio\u2019s scientific leadership<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project is led by researcher Roxana Savin, Professor in the Department of Forest and Agricultural Science and Engineering at the University of Lleida and a member of Agrotecnio\u2019s Crop Physiology group. Savin explained that increasingly frequent heatwaves can reduce the grain weight of malting barley. One of the main risks associated with this cereal is pre-harvest sprouting, when the grain begins to germinate before harvesting\u2014a phenomenon that can compromise its use for malting and lead to economic losses. This process occurs when barley is exposed to late-season rainfall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research also examines the impact of nitrogen fertilisation, commonly used to increase crop yields. The team hypothesises that high nitrogen levels in the field could increase barley\u2019s susceptibility to both heatwaves and pre-harvest sprouting. Lower nitrogen inputs could therefore reduce the crop\u2019s vulnerability to extreme weather events.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trials were conducted with eight barley genotypes in two experimental fields in Bell-lloc d\u2019Urgell and Gimenells, combining conditions with and without heat stress, and with and without nitrogen application. The study analyses, among other parameters, grain weight, grain size and malting quality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 
Industrial participation: <\/strong>la <\/strong>malter\u00eda La Moravia <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The malter\u00eda La Moravia, part of the Damm Group, is actively involved in the ResOrMa research project. The Head of Production and Environment, Neus Prieto Diez, explained that their activity begins with the careful selection of barley grain, which must meet strict quality criteria: a maximum moisture content of 12.5%, a protein content between 9.5% and 12%, at least 75% of grains with a size above 2.5 mm, and high germination capacity. 
 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prieto explained that prolonged heatwaves and pre-harvest rainfall promote pre-germination of the grain and hinder its preservation. \u201cThis directly impacts barley quality, especially brewing barley, with an increase in beta-glucans that causes haze, viscosity and filtration problems in beer,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initial project results indicate that extreme climatic conditions affect both barley quality and malt performance during the industrial process. For this reason, Prieto stressed that the sector needs more resilient barley varieties capable of maintaining germination stability and technological quality despite adverse climatic conditions.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Genetic improvement: Semillas Batlle<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Semillas Batlle is another company collaborating in the ResOrMa project. Laura Mart\u00ednez Plant\u00f3n, Head of Genetic Improvement Programmes for horticultural and arable crops, explained that the company\u2019s participation reflects its commitment to developing barley varieties adapted to different agroclimatic zones and resilient to climate change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Semillas Batlle develops breeding programmes to create more sustainable, stable and competitive barley varieties. Research focuses on selecting traits that enhance resistance to heat and drought, such as earlier flowering, better adaptation of the crop cycle to rainfall patterns, deeper root systems and greater water-use efficiency, thereby ensuring high yields under adverse climatic conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mart\u00ednez Plant\u00f3n explained that the process of developing new varieties combines crosses of adapted lines, selection under real dryland conditions, multi-location trials and multi-year evaluations, with the aim of ensuring both agronomic performance and industrial grain quality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The conseller for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, \u00d2scar Ordeig Molins, inaugurates the third edition of \u201cBreakfast for Inno\u201d and highlights the importance of addressing future scenarios through research and innovation.The Rector of the University of Lleida and President of Agrotecnio, Maria \u00c0ngels Balsells, highlights the initiative that connects the university with the business sector.The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5418,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5406"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5424,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5406\/revisions\/5424"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}